West Virginia’s public school enrollment is down by 4,858 students this school year, a decline that Dr. Steven Paine, state superintendent of schools, is partly attributing to changes in the enrollment cutoff date for pre-kindergarten.

Without those delayed from entering pre-kindergarten, “We’re probably more like 2,800 kids down,” Paine said.

He called that number similar or a “tad higher” than enrollment declines in previous years....

A group chosen by state education leaders has recommended giving county boards of education, and perhaps even individual principals, freedom to label student offenses currently considered less serious as more serious.

This would allow schools to newly punish such offenses with out-of-school suspensions without having it held against them.

The recommendation, which would have to be approved by the West Virginia Board of Education to...

In a holding pattern while waiting for recommendations from the PEIA Task Force, the PEIA Finance Board on Wednesday announced that it is canceling the board’s Nov. 15 meeting, and pushing a series of statewide public hearings on its proposed 2019-20 benefits plan back to mid-December.

The meeting and public hearings have been delayed on the apparent expectation...